Any alternatives to CFL bulbs once incandescents are banned?

hatrickpatrick

Dunno about you guys but I can't hack CFLs.If you're going into a dark room to search for something, for instance, you want to be able to turn the light on and not have to wait 5 minutes until it's actually bright enough to light up the room.
Once they ban incandescents completely, is there any other alternative, for normal sockets? Can you get LED bulbs which will fit into a standard lightbulb socket? And are there any other types of bulb which I haven't heard about?

Ronan H

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Once they ban incandescents completely, is there any other alternative, for normal sockets? Can you get LED bulbs which will fit into a standard lightbulb socket? And are there any other types of bulb which I haven't heard about?

You can get LED bulbs for more or less every fitting now. Have a look at this website to see what's on offer. I'm not suggesting you buy from them (or not buy from them as the case may be), moreso to just look for information sake...

Ronan

antoinolachtnai

You can also get something like this:

http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/product/3387/gls-105w-halogen-energy-saver-bc/

It is a halogen bulb, basically.

Ronan H

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

You can also get something like this:

http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/product/3387/gls-105w-halogen-energy-saver-bc/

It is a halogen bulb, basically.

Not very energy efficient by the looks of that particular one? 105w consumption is wild compared to LED power consumption, circa ~3-7w usually...

antoinolachtnai

No. But the light quality is much more like an ordinary old-fashioned bulb.

5eanf

Ronan H wrote: »

Not very energy efficient by the looks of that particular one? 105w consumption is wild compared to LED power consumption, circa ~3-7w usually...

Not very efficient at lighting your room but 100% efficient at lighting and heating your room! Even though is consuming more electricity you're saving on your heating cost, all be it very slightly!

Ronan H

Heating the room with a lightbulb? Really?

Is the effect of a lightbulb that significant?

Would the heating cost savings be more than the cost savings of using an LED bulb that used almost 50 times lessenergy?

Interesting point for sure!

5eanf

Nope, heating effect is minimal. You couldn't heat your room with it but it would raise the temperature very slightly.

It takes the same amount of energy to heat your room what ever way you heat it. Your central heating will probably heat your room cheaper than through electricity.

It takes perspective.

105W v 5W

Assume the light is on for 4 hours a day thats:

105W = 0.42 kWh * 14 cents per kWh = 5.8 cent per days usage
5W = 0.02 kWh * 14 cents per kWh = 0.28 cent per days usage

So it may use considerably less energy but the costs involved are minimal. If you change loads of lights then it will be noticeable on your bill, suppose the point is that from a technical point of view it takes the same amount of energy to heat and light your room no matter what way you do it, just comes down to cost.

So if you have really good insulation, tightly controlled room thermostats and heat recovery on any waste water leaving the house you could make use of nearly all the energy you consume. That way the efficiency of your appliances would be irrelevant as any wasted energy would be used to heat your home. Basically your home would be a trap for energy.

Just a few thoughts...

brophis

5eanf wrote: »

Nope, heating effect is minimal. You couldn't heat your room with it but it would raise the temperature very slightly.

It takes the same amount of energy to heat your room what ever way you heat it. Your central heating will probably heat your room cheaper than through electricity.

It takes perspective.

105W v 5W

Assume the light is on for 4 hours a day thats:

105W = 0.42 kWh * 14 cents per kWh = 5.8 cent per days usage
5W = 0.02 kWh * 14 cents per kWh = 0.28 cent per days usage

So it may use considerably less energy but the costs involved are minimal. If you change loads of lights then it will be noticeable on your bill, suppose the point is that from a technical point of view it takes the same amount of energy to heat and light your room no matter what way you do it, just comes down to cost.

So if you have really good insulation, tightly controlled room thermostats and heat recovery on any waste water leaving the house you could make use of nearly all the energy you consume. That way the efficiency of your appliances would be irrelevant as any wasted energy would be used to heat your home. Basically your home would be a trap for energy.

Just a few thoughts...

Well made point but it becomes irrelevant for half the year when you don't need heating, in which case it'll be a waste of energy. Granted you shouldn't need to use lights as much with the longer days.


On the LED bulbs, for anyone who has some installed, how do you find the quality of the light they give off?

5eanf

brophis wrote: »

Well made point but it becomes irrelevant for half the year when you don't need heating, in which case it'll be a waste of energy. Granted you shouldn't need to use lights as much with the longer days.


On the LED bulbs, for anyone who has some installed, how do you find the quality of the light they give off?

That's true, it only works once your room temperature is below 20 degs.

I think the colour rendering index will tell you the quality of the light a bulb gives off and the colour temperature will give you the actual colour of the light.

bonzodog2

LED GU10 spots are quite good, I'd say they are 'whiter' than incandescent, but maybe they come in different colour temps.

Ronan H

The link I listed earlier in this thread is an Irish website and they have the "warm white" LED colour which is closer to the incandescent, yellowish colour that people are used to. The first wave of LED lighting over the last few years seems to have focussed on the crisp white light temperatures, but there is far more available now in the warmer colours...

Do your research though, there are quite a few threads on here about LED bulbs and there are definitely good ones and not so good ones (as with anything of course).

Caveat emptor, do your research and all that jazz...

beanie10

You can also get something like this:

http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/pro...ergy-saver-bc/

It is a halogen bulb, basically.


+1 These are very good bulbs and since they are saving of 30% watts used to equivalent wattage they are classed as energy saving bulbs. They can be got in 42 watt and 72 watt equivalent to 60 watt and 104 watt.

Ronan H

Maybe I am missing something here, but they still have huge energy use figures. OK the 60w runs at 42w, but that's still high IMO.

ANyway, I feel I should point out (to myself I might add, seeing as it was myself who first digressed by mentioned energy saving :rolleyes:), that the OP did not mention anything about energy saving. He was merely asking for alternatives to CFL bulbs that take a while to light up fully.

SO, getting back OT, LED bulbs will do what you are looking for, as will the ones listed in the last couple of posts. No more waiting around for them badass CFLs to lighten up!

Ro